Stolen at the Hardwood Hills Canada Cup: Kona Factory Canadian Team 20" with blue Bomber Superfly fork and Race Face Air Carbon Handlebars. The name Dana Ruddy is painted on the frame. Call Kona if you have any information or if you have the bike @ 1-888-KONA-CAN. There is a reward.

Chrissy Redden's Race Report

The second round of the Canada Cup found itself in my home turf course of Hardwood Hills, Ontario. And finding myself at home with the husband and cats, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to support the home crowd. The weekend started on Saturday afternoon with a "ride with Ritchey Yahoo! rider Chrissy Redden" pre-ride of the course. As we found out it was a long 12.5 km loop with no major climbs, but lots of small kickers and 80% fast, winding single track. The ride went well (with about 20 participants ranging in age and ability) until one girl took a jump option, but landed rubber side up and head down. After getting the first aid crew out to bring her back we continued and ended with a signing session.

The main event was on Sunday at 1:30 pm in blistering 31 degrees C sun. Drinking A LOT was the secret of the day. The women's field was strong with half the national team represented and quite a few local Ontario cup favorites. The first 1.5 km was fairly flat and wide until the first bit of single track. Wanting to be first into the single track, I attacked mid-way through this section and when I got to the single track, I looked behind me and only Melanie McQuaid was on my wheel with Marie Helen about 10 feet back. I maintained a steady, smooth pace through the first 6km of single track and came around the start area to start the second half of the loop 30 sec ahead of 2nd place. From there I focussed my race on mentally staying strong and keeping my momentum through the continuous rolling hills. It felt very good to finish first on my home turf and in front of my family and friends.

First Union Wilmington Classic(courtesy the organizers)

Reinhart Beats McRae In Tight Sprint Finish

Nicole Reinhart showed that she is the fastest woman road sprinter in North America with a decisive win today at the First Union Wilmington Classic in Wilmington, Del. Reinhart and her Saturn teammates were in control of every tactical move of the day, and her victory was the result of a cohesive team effort.

The Team Saturn moves began from the starting gun with Clara Hughes, who recently returned to racing condition after an illness, and Tina Mayolo of the Celestial Seasonings Team escaping the field and building up a 35" lead. Their breakaway lasted until half-way into the thirty-one mile race when, in response to the attacks and counter-attacks coming out the chasing field, Reinhart herself closed the gap on her teammate Hughes.

Reinhart explained the tactic: "At first we were happy with the breakaway because Tina wasn't a threat to us in the overall Saturn USPRO Cycling Tour points standings," said Reinhart. "But they were kind of just dangling out there and the race wasn't hard enough. We wanted to be really aggressive today and make a hard race."

Her counter-attack toughened the race and sparked another breakaway, this time with Saturn's Tana Stone, Mina Pizzini of Stoneyfield/Potomac and Celestial Seasoning's Elizabeth Emery. They were absorbed by the field with four miles to go and yet another Celestial Seasonings rider, Roz Reekie of Australia, went on the attack, with Clara Hughes joining her. The duo was caught with a half a mile to go just as the sprint was launched. Reinhart, guided in the slipstream of teammate Dede Demet was being shoved into the barricades as the riders fought for position and was forced to begin her sprint much farther from the line than normal. Reinhart's track-trained skills kept her in front to the line, where she "threw the bike" across to win by inches over Jen McRae of Team Timex.

In third place, in a great surprise, was Jamie Nicholson of the Century Road Club Association. Nicholson is a full-time investment banker. She will know what to do with her prize money.

Zarate Wins First Race of First Union Cycling Series

Thirteen teams of racers from fifteen countries took the start of the 1999 Christiana Care Cup under blazing hot and windy conditions. Jan Karlssen of the Danish Team Acceptcard, jumped away from the start in a solo breakaway that quickly gained a one minute, fourty-five second lead on the field. Karlssen held his lead forty-five miles - scooping up King of the Hill points along the way - before being joined by five men: Saturn's Bart Bowen, Mercury's Mike Sayers and Jesus Zarate and two independents, Steve Speaks and Clark Sheehan. The five men forged to four minutes, 30 second lead on the field but began to lose ground as the chasers ignited into action from behind.

Seven men emerged from the fighting in the field, Leipheimer (Saturn), Clinger (Mercury), Walters (Navigators), Bramati (Mapei), Guldbaek (Acceptcard), and Murn (Slovenia). It took twenty miles of hard chasing, but the seven men bridged the gap between the groups and joined the five leaders at the sixty-five mile mark.

The twelve stayed together until the last lap when an attack by Guldbaek split the group in two with five miles to the finish. Clinger drove the split for his team sprinter Zarate with Mapei's Bramati and Bowen forcing in turn. Clinger completed the Team Mercury show of power, by leading out an explosive Zarate in the sprint and managing to hold off Bramati for second place despite his long sacrificing effort.

Zarate's win was the biggest of his career. The 1998 Mexican National Amateur Road Champion was a deserving winner, having been active throughout the day and finishing second in the King of the Hill points to Karlssen by one point. The strong performance of Zarate and his Mercury team makes them a favored team for the First Union Cycling series that culminates with the First Union USPRO Championship on Sunday, June 4.